Breeding Poison
by ssooo
Summary: He moved closer to me; his eyes held an unwavering predatory look in them that I involuntarily shivered. "Stay away from me," I said. But my voice held no conviction which made the man in front of me to smirk wider. He bent down, his mouth near the crook of my neck, and gave it a chaste kiss. "Your mind says that, but your body seems to disagree." ERIC/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood or anything associated with the production of the show. I only own my OCs.**

"Daniel," I whined my older brother's name for the nth time in the past hour. I noticed his hand twitching at the steering wheel as his eyes stared out the clear highway road with bored eyes. "Are we there yet?" He gave me a glance that answered my repeated question. I sighed. Daniel never liked travelling by car because travelling by car means my mind won't be occupied for long, and I'll end up asking the imperative question: "are we there yet?" Yes, it was annoying; but, really, if you have been in a car for almost two days with a brother like mine. He was always quiet and reserved but very intimidating when provoked. Its kind of scary but he has a good judge of character that he would never let me near anyone or anything that is remotely dangerous.

"Just an hour, Ellie," He sighed in defeat. "Just one more hour and we'll be home, unpacking and starting a new life." He ran his massive hands into his long, jet black hair while muttering under his breath about getting a haircut soon. I nodded absentmindedly at his words while braiding my hair to the side. The sweltering heat was making my hair stick to the back of my neck; it was a very big change from dark, rainy skies in Washington to humid, sunny Louisiana air.

I heard Daniel snort. I looked at him as he said, "Looks like you and I need a haircut." He gave me a lazy grin and ruffled my toffee coloured hair. I instinctively recoiled from his touch and gave him a swift kick on his thigh over the console. He laughed. "Aw, c'mon, squirt, I didn't ruin your precious hair that much. It's still beautiful."

"Shut up, and drive!" I hissed. He laughed again before turning back to the road and taking an exit. "You excited to moving to Bon Temps?"

It was my turn to snort. "As long as there's trails I can walk around, and the heat isn't so overbearing, then I'll be fine." It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't far from the truth either. As long as there were walking trails in the woods, then I will be fine. The weather on the other hand was a different story: I've been so used to the low, cool temperatures back in Eugene all my life that I'm positive I won't be getting used to this high temperatures the South offers any time soon.

"You think you'll be all right, Ell?" He asked as he turned into a quaint little neighbourhood. I gave him a tiny shrug and got out the car once he parked in front of a large, ageing house. Daniel stood next to me; a small, wistful smile on his lips as he stared at the home of his late grandmother. I wrapped my hands around his waist and gave him a timid smile.

"Nana would have loved you, Ellie," He said while twirling a piece of hair in-between his fingers. "She never really liked me when I was younger. Mum said it was because I was too wild and rambunctious, Nana couldn't keep me still at all. She always wanted Mum to have another child. A girl, she always insisted. But when Mum found out she couldn't have anymore children, she and Nana were devastated.

We moved to Eugene after that and seldom visited Nana. And then she got sick when I was only sixteen. It was then I realised that you don't know what you had until you've lost it. Although she was a completely pain in the arse with her snippy personality, Nana was a wonderful person. It was during that time Mum and Dad found you."

He held me tighter to his side as memories from twelve years ago went through our minds. Daniel's mother had found me near the edge of the woods at an interstate when I was ten years old. The reason why I was even out there were very vague to me. But all I knew from what Daniel told me from all those years ago was that I was crying over something; mumbling things under my breath no one understood until I was taken to the hospital and I all but remembered why and what I was doing in such a dangerous place.

It was then I was part of the Monroe family, and it was after three months, Daniel's grandmother had passed away. We had to take a week trip down to Louisiana to attend the funeral and that was when things changed between Daniel and his parents.

A warm hand caressed my cheek. The thumb gently gliding near the edge of my left brow, all the way down to my cheek, and the corner of my lip. Daniel did it a few times more and it gave me great comfort. But it wasn't the same with him as the long, faint scar left there by him always gave him a reminder how dangerous he really was, and the immense guilt he always felt upon seeing it. It wasn't really visible to the human eye unless you come up close and see the pinkish colour it gave my skin.

"Daniel," I whispered, careful not to put him out of reverie. "Can we go inside now?" He gave me another smile before showering the left side of my face with kisses and muttering words of apologies to me and himself. He pushed me up the stairs leading to the front door, and placed a key in the palm of my hand. I opened large double doors wide open to let the air inside the large home while Daniel opened the trunk of the rental trailer attached to his car and began unloading our stuff.

* * *

**Hello! This is my first True Blood story, and I am veeeeery nervous but also excited about writing this. Haha. I have read TB fanfics here before, and I just had this sudden urge to make my own! :) Please leave some generous reviews and thank you in advance for the follows and favourites! I hope this fanfic is up to True Blood standard. lol**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

It was two after we finally settled into Daniel's grandmother's home. Daniel was in and out the house; fixing up the front yard and meeting up with family friends. Of course, he has invited me a few times to meet them but I haven't been feeling all too well from the heat. It was currently over a hundred degrees outside and just thinking about it made my head spin, my breathing turn ragged, and the hairs on my arms rise.

Daniel knew my distaste over warm weather from personal experience and he felt even guiltier than he already was by making me put up with this heat. I reassured him that I'll get used to it and convincing him he needn't feel anymore guilty than he already was. He only gave me a kiss on the left side of my face and headed out the door.

So here I sat in the middle of the large bathtub inside the master bedroom filled to the brim with ice cold water with my knees close to my chest for the past two hours. It was a daily routine I'd done to keep myself from getting heatstroke and my mind at ease. The cold water always soothed me in a way that I neither Daniel nor his parents could understand. Whenever the weather went above 80 degrees, Daniel's mother would always prepare cold baths for me in the afternoons when the temperature would be at its peak.

I glide a hand across the water, disturbing its stillness as my divulged myself in the dark recesses of my mind. My mind wandered back to the days before I was discovered by the Monroe's eleven years ago. Everything was so blurry and all the years of therapy back in Eugene did nothing to bring out my memories. It was weird. But I chose not to delve into it longer than I should as Daniel's father always reminded me. He was an ex-marine so looking back to the past couple of years of being in the marines wasn't something he really wanted to do.

It was then that I heard the front door open and several voices bunching up together downstairs. I looked at the clock that hung across the bathtub and it said it was already half an hour past five in the afternoon; I had been laying in the tub for the past three hours!

"Ellie! You in here?" Daniel's voice boomed through the hallway. I heard the door to the master bedroom being opened and a soft knock. "Hey, squirt, you didn't fall asleep in the tub again did you?"

I laughed. "No, Daniel, I was just soaking." I stood up and dried myself with the towel I had put on the spacious bathroom counter. I unplugged the drain, and dressed myself in a charcoal coloured t-shirt and ripped, light wash jeans. I opened the door and walked over to where Daniel was sitting at the edge of the king sized bed.

"Who's downstairs? Did you invite a party over?" I asked and poked him on the arm. He chuckled and gave me a kiss on the side of my head.

"Not exactly; I invited a bunch of my old friends over, and they wanted to meet the newest addition to the Monroe family."

He gave me a beaming smile and grabbed my hand. "They're really dying to meet you, Ellie," he whispered. "So don't you shut yourself out when you see them, okay?"

"Of course. Any friend of yours is a possible friend of mine, Daniel."

Daniel grinned, showing his pearly white teeth. "Great! Now come on, let's go before Jason starts raiding the entire fridge with his fat arse." He led me down the hallway, the stairs, and towards the living room where the laughs and the conversations grew louder and louder as we came closer.

"I was wonderin' what the hell was takin' you so long." A gruff voice said. "Where's your sister? You can't keep her to yourself anymore, Danny."

Daniel let out a boisterous laugh that made me grin appreciatively. He hasn't laughed that loud since his parents passed away a year ago, so it was really nice to hear it again. He pulled me in front of him and rested his hands on my shoulders. I looked around the five people sitting and standing around the living room, and gave them a small smile.

Two were of African-American descent while the other three were Caucasian; two looked like they were related while the other had a beard and stood at the side with a smile of his own. The brother of the two siblings gave me a grin and openly leered at me along with the two African-Americans; his arms appreciatively bulging out of his muscle tee. The blonde woman, however, was giving me an unwavering glare, and I flinched slightly at the look.

I suddenly felt something poking inside my mind like it was trying to fight itself to get inside me. I frowned when an uncomfortable feeling filled the pit of my stomach as the probing in my head continued. I visibly flinched that Daniel looked down at me with a bemused frown. His hands eased up to the side of my neck and the prodding intensified.

"Ellie, you all right?" He asked. My breathing became ragged and my vision began to cloud. "Ellie, focus on me. Come on, squirt."

"Hey, Dan, what the hell is wrong with her?" Someone with a snappy voice asked. "She don't look right. I thought you said she was fine."

"She is, Tara, but I don't know what's happening," Daniel said, keeping his voice as calm as possible. "This hasn't happened in a long time."

"_She mustn't get inside my head. Don't let her get inside my head." _Someone whispered. I heard more voices talking, asking what I was saying but Daniel only gave me a concerned look. I realised we were both on the floor with me wrapped in his arms and my hands grasping tightly on to the front of his shirt.

"Sookie…are you okay? You haven't said a word either." The gruff voice from earlier asked to someone. "Hey, Sook…Sookie what are you—Sookie are you trying to get inside her head?!"

"Are you fuckin' with me right now?" The one with the snappy voice hissed. "Sookie, you're killin' the poor girl right now! Stop fucking with her mind!"

"Mind? What's Sookie doing with Ellie?" Daniel demanded, a stern and protective look replaced all signs of concern for me and held me tighter towards his arms.

"Sookie! Fucking stop with this shit right now!"

A slap resounded around the living and the prodding in my brain disappeared as I relaxed in Daniel's arms. He cupped my cheek in his hand and looked all over me for any signs of pain but I gave him a small smile and a nod of my head to tell him I was fine. He kissed my left cheek and helped me stand with his arm around my waist.

"You all right, baby girl?" The African-American man asked giving me a once over.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied with a shaky breath. The prodding in my head dulled until it was only a mute buzz.

"Okay, let's get the introductions over with before Ellie has another episode," Daniel said. "Ellie, this is Lafayette Reynolds, Tara Thorton, Sookie and Jason Stackhouse, and Sam Merlotte. Everyone, this is my beautiful little sister Anneliese Monroe."

"Hi," I said and gave them a small wave. "Anneliese is a mouthful but you can call me Anne or Ellie like Daniel does."

"Now what the hell just happened and what the fuck does Sookie have to do with it?"

I sighed. I hated when Daniel cursed but I wasn't about to say anything about it because Daniel meant business now. I looked at the blonde girl named Sookie who looked visibly guilty while the rest just gave an exasperated look at her which meant this whole situation has happened more than once around them.

"Uhhh…you remember when Sookie went to all those sessions at the hospital when we were little?" Jason asked and Daniel nodded. "She…well….She's a telepath. It's some weird thing she can do ever since she was little. She can control it better than she can now. But that thing with Ellie never happened before."

"What was that you were saying, Ellie?" Sam asked, his tone giving off a hint of suspicion that made Daniel instinctively pulled me behind him a bit. Sam held his arms up in defence as if he didn't mean no harm to him but Daniel's instincts told him otherwise.

"I was…talking?" I looked up at Daniel who nodded his head. "I don't remember anything. All I felt was pain like someone was desperately trying to get into my head for something."

"Jesus, Sookie," Jason hissed, glaring at his younger sister. "I thought you said you had that thing under control. What the hell are you doin' tryin' to get into Ellie's head in the first place?"

"I'm sorry!" Sookie said for the first time and looked at me with a really guilty look in her eyes. "I didn't know it would hurt her. But it's just…Jason, I can't read her mind. Something is blocking me from seeing anything inside her head."

"What the hell are you talking about, Sook?" Daniel snarled, his demeanour instantly changing to something petrifying that Sookie unconsciously stepped back. I grabbed Daniel's hand and grazed my thumb around his skin in a soothing manner. He glanced at me and he almost calmed himself from doing anything rash.

"Explain. Now."

"I can hear everyone's thoughts just like Jason said. But…there are some people's minds I can't hear," Sookie bit her lip like she was contemplating whether to continue or not. But Daniel's dead set glare on her made her continue what she was saying. "I can't hear a vampire's mind. My…boyfriend said it was probably because they're dead and their brain don't function anymore."

I scrunched my nose at the mention of 'vampire' and Daniel snorted, "Ellie isn't a vampire. Sure, she's really queer and likes the cold more than she likes the hot weather but she isn't a vampire. She's perfectly human."

Somehow, that statement didn't exactly settle with me well and the churn in my stomach returned again. Well, with what Sookie just said about not being able to hear my thoughts raised alarms in my head. I looked at Daniel who gave me a glance in the corner of his eyes as if telling me not to say a word. I mentally sighed. He was pretty much contradicting himself as he is part of the supernatural world also.

"You sure about that, Danny?" Tara asked and raised an eyebrow. "Because Sookie here just gave us a real reason why your sister probably isn't all that human."

"Okay, maybe she isn't. But _Ellie_ is as normal as she can be," Daniel defended.

"Mmm…I don't know about that," Lafayette mumbled.

Daniel sighed and looked down at me with a defeated look. I simply shrugged my shoulders and poked his arm. He smiled and gave me a lingering kiss on my forehead.

"So, Ellie, how old are you?" Jason asked with an impish grin.

"She's way too young for you, Jason. Now fuck off my sister," Daniel sneered but a hint of mirth danced in his eyes.

I giggled. "I'm only twenty-three."

"Well, I'll be damned. You look a little too young to be twenty-three, little girl"

"With a tiny body like that, I don't think she can even drink a whole bottle, right, hookah?" Lafayette asked.

"I don't think she can even take a fucking sip without getting tipsy!" Tara exclaimed and that had the other chuckling and laughing.

I looked over at Sookie who looked back at me; her eyes downcast with sadness. I frowned before nodding my head in forgiveness, and the emotion in her eyes changed and gave me a small smile. I smiled back and joined back into the conversation.

* * *

**I apologise if I make Sookie out as somewhat of an antagonist. But I honestly have to admit that Sookie is very demanding and _stupid_ in the show. I don't know; I really don't like the way she acts, and the way I portrayed her in this chapter is how _I _see her act throughout the seasons. LOL Anywho, if anyone here likes Sookie then I am sorry if the way I characterise her is not to your liking.**

**Thank you for all the favourites, follows, and reviews. xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

There was something different in his area but Eric Northman couldn't put a finger to it. Ever since he, Pam, and Bill came back from their visit to the Magister with a new addition, something was definitely off; the atmosphere felt weird and the air smelt…fouler in a way. He asked Pam about it three days after they were back and all she did was give him a bored look while telling him to 'get his shit together.' Of course, he did just that. He ignored the strange feeling, went on managing his bar, and dealing with some vampire business.

He breathed in the appetising smell of blood that surrounded the basement of Fangtasia with great satisfaction. Eric knew he was one hell of a messy eater but this damned breather was on his last string of patience that he simply ripped him to shreds; not to mention the fact the little swine had silver on his and burnt the side of his face. He carelessly swung the mangled arm towards the man huddled in the corner who would have jumped ten feet away from the limb if not for the fact he was chained to the ceiling.

"If you have any silver on you, now would be the time to reveal it," he advised the man.

The man shook his head. "No way. I ain't that stupid."

"Yes, you are." Eric replied without missing a beat. Humans have always been stupid one way or another; it's another reason why he detested dealing with their pathetic lives. He wiped the string of blood dribbling in the corner of his mouth, and inwardly cursed when he was the copious amount of blood ran down his arm and scooped from his face.

"Is there blood in my hair?" He asked. The man in the corner gave him a weird look and asked the dubious question of 'what?' He repeated the question, his patience waning once again, and zipped towards the man who flinched away from the fact he appeared before him within a blink of an eye. In any other circumstances, Eric would have revelled at the fear he smelt from him but he's going to be in serious shit with his progeny if there was blood in his hair.

When the man confirmed his thoughts, he sighed. "This is bad, Pam is gonna kill me."

Eric mentally smirked at the irony of his words as the man asked who Pam was. He looked back at him and said, "Why? Did you want to meet her?"

The man shook his head. "No, no. I'm good."

"Well, that's too bad," Eric smiled. "You're going to."

Then he smelt it. It was hardly noticeable but he could smell the foulness from the man. Eric stared at the man with a bit of curiosity but not enough for the man to see in his eyes. He knew that the man cowering in front of him has lived in that god forsaken town Bon Temps all his life, so the disgusting smell wasn't exactly _from _him but it was definitely coming _off _him.

He wanted to ask the man who he recently met but that would be getting off topic with the current situation. Eric unlatched the chain around his neck and dragged the man up by the neck.

"Where are you taking me?" The man asked.

"To find out what you know," Eric replied and side glanced the man as they went up the stairs. "It seems like you know more than you let on. Now I wouldn't try anything rash if I were you. I'm still hungry."

* * *

Pam let out an annoyed sighed. She specifically told Eric not let anything get in his hair and her damned annoying maker never listened. Of course, he gave her a terse apology as if that would make everything better; but if he wanted the god damn highlights he wanted in his hair so fucking much, he didn't have to ruin it!

"Well, this is a disaster," She said. "We'll have to go much shorter than I planned."

"Yeah, well, I said I was sorry, Pam," Eric said with the same brusque tone. "But he took silver to me. You were there, you saw it. Defend me."

Eric looked at Lafayette sitting in front of him who looked on at the conversation between him and his progeny with mild interest. Now that they were in closed quarters and away from the smell of blood, the pungent smell he smelt earlier was slightly more tangible. It was still faint but he could smell it better. The smell was extremely revolting; it was like a rotten corpse of a dead animal that has been left preserved for years mixed with a faint musky scent of the woods and ice cold, fresh water. It was the strangest combination he had ever smelt in all his life.

"I don't know what it is you wanna know. But point me in the direction and I'll give it to you." Lafayette said with so much fear, the three vampires occupying the room with him could almost taste it in the air.

"I've seen your websites. Its pretty low rent," Eric said while Pam removed the foils in his hair. "Your clients miss you, Lafayette. They're wondering if you're ever coming back."

Lafayette let out a shaky breath and dared to ask the question running in his mind: "Am I?"

He didn't want to die so early. He didn't even do anything bad! Of course, he sold some V on the side but you gotta do what you gotta do in order to survive in a piss poor place like Bon Temps. It was just a side job; something that boosted the amount of money he was getting from Merlotte's and from his website.

"I'm here for the V, right?" He asked. "How about I give you the names of everybody I sold to?"

He was borderline desperate on saving his own arse, he'll sell the people's names he gave V to in order to do it. No way was he going down this alone.

"The vampire that you had your little arrangement with, Eddie Fournier." Eric began with a seemingly calm demeanour that scared the pants off Lafayette. "What happened to him?"

Eric subtlety breathed in, the pervasive smell filling his nostrils and his entire body. He felt something inside him stir as he breathed in more of the scent. God, how the fuck was it getting stronger the more he breathes it in? His eyes darkened and he felt his gums begin to throb, his vampire teeth threatened to reveal themselves.

He tuned back into the conversation when he heard Lafayette saying that he knew who might have taken the fellow vampire in his area. Maybe it was the person who the man in front of him reeked of; he was hoping it was so he can address the person and wonder why the fuck they smelt so bad but so good at the same time.

"By whom?" Eric asked.

"I don't know. I mean, I ain't sure."

Eric grunted. "Well, that's not very forthcoming of you."

He looked to the Asian man standing at the side and addressed him, "Chow you're up."

"No! No! Chill out! Shit!" Lafayette yelled and held out a hand as if it would really stop the Asian vampire from approaching him.

"I think it was…" Lafayette's voice shook. "I think it was Jason Stackhouse."

"_Sookie's brother. Could be fun?" _Pam said in Swedish and shrugged while she eyed her maker. She saw the way he was breathing in the unfamiliar scent coming off the human sitting in front of them earlier. She smelt it, too, but the way his eyes darkened and his lips turn into a small sneer he acted like the smell was very off-putting. But it wasn't…at least to her. It was very woodsy and fresh.

"_Fun, yes. But also stupid." _Eric replied. He knew better than to hunt down the Stackhouse boy but it could never hurt to see the little mind reader again. _"Sookie is too important to us."_

"Sadly, this information is of no use to me," He turned back to see the crestfallen look on Lafayette's face. "Not now, anyway."

"I understand dealers of vampire blood sometimes trade products with one another across state lines. Any buyers in the Dallas area?"

Lafayette quickly gave him all the information he needed and nearly smirked when he mentioned the email address he told him. But Pam did not hide her amusement as she snorted and her eyes lightened up in amusement.

"A friend of mine in the Dallas area, his name is Godric, has gone missing. Now, while the circumstances of his disappearance are unclear, it stands to reason that his blood would be very valuable as he's twice over my age and ten times the vampire I will ever be."

Pam rolled her eyes. "Oh, Eric, you don't do humble well."

"I wasn't being humble, this happens to be the truth." Eric snapped.

As he continued to interrogate Lafayette, he realised he wasn't getting anywhere with the man and had Chow remove him from the room and back down to the basement. The strained yells and determination he showed that he wasn't going anywhere amuse Eric, and nearly forgot to ask him about another thing.

"One more thing," Eric said just as Chow was about to close the door. He watched Lafayette get to his feet and moved away from his bodyguard. "Why do you smell so foul yet so delectable at the same time?"

Lafayette eyed him. What the hell? He wondered if the guy had too much blood or something because he's been in his shitty basement for the past who knows how many weeks and he wondered why he smelt so _bad_?

"Your basement isn't the nicest," He grumbled and sarcastically added: "Why do you think I smell so bad?"

"Not that," Eric snarled. "You have this subtle smell coming off you and it's very revolting. Have you encountered anyone who is not from here before you were taken?"

Lafayette nearly glared at the blonde vampire sitting in the chair in front of him. He started to think and he didn't know anyone from the top of his head that he recently—

"There's these two people that moved back a couple weeks ago," He informed when he remembered Daniel and Anneliese. "They moved back from up north somewhere. One of them is was born here and the other one was adopted or something a couple years ago."

Eric's attention was turned to the latter mentioned as the throbbing in his gums intensified. "The adopted one, who are they?"

"Anneliese Monroe," Lafayette said. "She got adopted by Daniel's parents twelve years ago when she was ten."

"She sounds delightful," Pam drawled and stared at Eric. _"What is this all about? You look like you're on the verge of flipping the table in front of you."_

"And where does this Miss Monroe live?" Eric asked. He kept the anger in his voice away but it was difficult as the tension in his body didn't waver at all. What the fuck is wrong with him?

Lafayette's eyebrow rose as he took in the rigidness of the blonde vampire. What did Anneliese have to do with anything with this when she and Daniel moved not even two months ago? He jumped when Eric suddenly in front of him, bearing his fangs from the lack of cooperation Lafayette was giving him.

"Where does she live?" He growled, his eyes staring deep into the shorter man's before him. "Tell me where she lives. Now."

"She lives in the white mansion near the edge of Bon Temps." Lafayette answered.

"Now you're not going to remember a word we just said and Chow here will take you away without any complaints. Understand?" Eric pushed him back towards Chow as the Asian man closed the door behind him and dragged Lafayette back down the basement. Eric turned around and faced Pam who gave him an apathetic look but her eyes told him a different story.

He gave her a wild smile. "Pam, you wanna go on a little hunting with me tonight?"

* * *

"Weather is fine today, Ells," Daniel called out from the back door. "You wanna come out and hang out at Merlotte's with Sookie later? She wants to spend some time with you!"

I stood up from the cold kitchen tiles just as Daniel came in and gave me a puzzled look and shook his head.I felt the cool air coming in from the opened back door and sighed in near contentment. I can still feel the slight humidity but it wasn't enough that it could bother me so I decided to accept Sookie's invitation out.

It was still awkward between us after the incident from a couple weeks ago. She was walking on egg shells around me and I was the same; afraid that another probing in my brain was bound to happen soon. Tara and Jason reassured me that Sookie won't be going in my head again because she respects the privacy of others lest they really don't want her inside my head. But it was difficult to believe that she does respect the privacy of others if she openly tried to get inside my head in front of Daniel and her friends.

I didn't like it but I wasn't going to hold it against her unless she did it again. Daniel asked the same from her; thoroughly afraid and still disgruntled for me and he didn't want anyone knowing anything inside that head of his because he _liked_ his privacy be his _own_ privacy.

"Are you driving me there or is she coming over here?" I asked once I came back downstairs and changed out of my sweatpants and large t-shirt into something more decent.

"Well, I'm heading out to Shreveport to stock the fridge…again" Daniel gave me a small glare as he grabbed his car keys from the key rack near the front entrance. "I swear to God, it's a miracle you don't gain a damn pound from eating the entire fridge or I would have to be rolling your fat arse around everywhere!"

Daniel and I laughed at the image our heads conjured up of me being rolled around like a human ball. He drove us out the driveway and towards the main road as the crisp summer air filled the car. Daniel made small talk with me while poking about my small trips to the woods near dusk.

"I hadn't encountered anyone, yet," I said while thinking back to three days ago when I trailed into the woods in the back of the house for almost an hour before treading back home when the sun was almost setting in the horizon. "It's nice there, though, almost like Eugene just…hotter and ten times as humid. Plus, I don't think any vampires would be going around that place to hunt unless they're Edward Cullen."

Daniel snorted at my little innuendo. "Your little fixation with that book still amazes me, Ellie. There isn't anything in that thing you call a 'book' real."

"Werewolves are real, and so are Vampires," I said while poking him in the ribs. "And vegetarian vampires are technically ones who only drink Tru Blood because they are made of synthetic blood by the Japanese."

He reached over and went to rumple up my hair but I was quick enough to slap his attempts and stuck my tongue out at him. "Alright, Miss Smarty Pants, you can stop with the unnecessary information that I don't need to know."

Daniel parked the car just in front of Merlotte's where we can easily hear the music play and the loud natter going on. He turned off the engine, took out his tattered wallet, and gave me a few bills for lunch. I smiled at the considerate thought and thanked him.

"Be careful, all right, squirt? I'm probably going to be home around 9 o'clock because I have to buy stuff at Home Depot after stocking up the fridge."

"Okay, I'll ask Sookie to drive me home before the sun sets."

He nodded. "Good, and if anything happens — and I mean _anything_ — you call me right away and I'll be here in a heartbeat."

Daniel gave me a kiss on the forehead and ushered me out of his car before driving out the parking lot. Once I entered the restaurant, I headed straight to the bar and smiled when I saw Tara behind it talking to Sookie who had her back towards me and a woman.

My feet paused mid-step and I stared at the woman standing a little too close to Sookie as she complimented the smaller woman. My stomach did that uneasy churn like it did when I first met Sookie, but this one was more profound. I felt my feet softly shuffle beneath me, dragging me away from the scene until I was huddle in the corner near the dumpster.

"_Evil, evil, must not let it get near us,"_ Someone slurred in an unfamiliar language. But I could hear it clear as day. _"They are vile and malicious. There is too much inside us; we cannot have anymore."_

A hand touched my shoulder and I instinctively curled away from the balmy temperature. "Hey, hey, Ellie, it's me, Sam."

I looked up and sighed. Sam was giving me a look of concern as he was crouched in front of me with one hand in the air and another near his person. He helped me stand with his hands on either of my arms, assessing me like Daniel always did.

"I'm fine, Sam," I reassured the older man who gave me a skeptical look. "I just felt a bit faint for a moment and had to sit down."

"Okay," He said, seemingly accepting my excuse. "Shouldn't you be inside? Sookie is in there and the air conditioning would beat a hell of a lot more than sittin' out here in your condition."

I withheld a laugh at the baffled tone regarding my favour of the cold."I thought I can wait out here while Sookie is talking to that…woman inside."

I saw Sam visibly shudder before me at the mention of the woman, and I ended being too curious for my own good as the question slipped from my lips before I could hold back my tongue.

"What is she, Sam?"

"You mean 'who' is she, Ellie?"

I shook my head. "No, I mean 'what' as in what kind of…supernatural thing is she? She feels weird, like, she's really ancient when she looks like she's not even a day over 38."

Sam watched me with caution, the familiar scepticism in his eyes as he looked at me from head to toe. I felt my stomach do another annoying churn, telling me that he wasn't going to give me anything regards of the woman.

"Well, then, who is she? If I may ask?"

He nodded at my question but the suspicion in his eyes did not waver. "Her name is Maryann Forrester. She's some big shot that takes in people who have problems, and takes care of them."

The bitterness in his voice was very palpable and I wondered what his relationship he had with Maryann. But it was not in my position because I was already in the deep end with Sam and his suspicion of me.

Sookie came out from the entrance, startling me and Sam who quickly retreated back inside his restaurant without sparing a glance back to the blonde.

"Hey, Ellie, what are you and Sam doing out here talking about?" Sookie asked. She was a little to curious for her own good, I observed. It seemed like she always wanted to be 'in-the-know' with everything that didn't involve her.

"Oh, he was just asking if I was okay with the heat today." I replied which wasn't technically a lie because Sam did ask about my well-being and the heat.

"Well, I was just wonderin' if you wanted to visit a friend of mine for a little bit?"

"Uhh…Daniel said we were going to be hanging out here today, though," I countered, painfully obvious that I didn't want to go anywhere that was out of range of Merlotte's and where Daniel didn't know where I was.

"Oh, come one," She grabbed both of my hands and looked me in the eye with a small smile. I felt a small jolt of electricity coursing through my body and a probing in my head. I looked back at Sookie who was giving me the familiar glower and look of concentration. Then I felt the sudden jolt of electricity being squashed and the throb in my head disappeared along with the unsettling intrusion in my head.

I politely shook her hands from mine and gave her an unnerving stare but her posture did not waver nor give any signs that she knew what she just did.

"It'll only be for a little while," Sookie went back to her pleasant personality, as if the uninvited obtrusion into my mind didn't just happen. "We can come back to Merlotte's and get some dinner for you before I drop you off at your house."

"Do you promise? Daniel's going to be really mad if you don't take me home before he gets back."

Sookie beamed as a massive grin stretched across her face. She took my hand and all but pushed me inside the passenger seat of her tiny yellow car. She drove out of Merlotte's and towards the main road.

It was while we were on the way to a barren neighbourhood that I realised two things: Sookie broke her promise to keep out of my head, and she never kept her promise of having me home before Daniel does.

* * *

**The story is now following the show and starts at the beginning of 202.**

**Thank you for the lovely reviews, follows, and favourites. Sookie haters unite! Haha. :) xx**


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